Statement on the Relationship Between the "Defending Marx" and "Toppling Eastern and Western Economics" Series

2006/9/8 12:00:06

Taking advantage of these couple of days while there's still some free time, let me clarify some earlier issues. Recently this ID set aside "Toppling Eastern and Western Economics" to write the "Defending Marx" series, but the relationship between the two must be made clear. Since "Toppling Eastern and Western Economics" means toppling ALL existing economics, Marxist economics is naturally included. So why also write a "Defending Marx" series? Simply because current understandings of Marx are mostly erroneous. This ID once said: "Marx was the most penetrating person working within the domain of the six consciousnesses. Though he was confined by the six consciousnesses without knowing it, this was truly not his fault. Among all philosophers, Eastern and Western, one who surpasses him cannot be found in all of ancient and modern history." Though this statement was not made solely for Marxist economics, it is equally applicable. When a great tree towers to the sky, how can we allow termites to rot it?

Regarding the "Defending Marx" series, it will continue whenever time permits. There are far too many misinterpretations of Marx, from both the left and the right. This series will probably be very long. For example, take a most basic case: virtually everyone holds the erroneous notion that "communism is the highest form of human society as envisioned by Marx," and both supporters and opponents understand it this way. But the reality is precisely the opposite. Marx never designed or envisioned any highest form of human social development; he merely pointed out the revolutionary significance of the emergence of the communist form for human society. Before communism, everyone exists in a state of enslavement — for instance, in capitalist society, people are enslaved by the necessity of capitalist economic relations, and no one can escape this. Under such enslavement, all talk of human freedom is meaningless. The emergence of communist society represents humanity's true liberation. Only on the premise of liberation is it possible for people to create higher forms of society. In a sense, what Marx was more concerned with was human liberation. Because human liberation is the prerequisite for the free development of humanity — slaves have no world! In this sense, communism is humanity's true starting point, not its endpoint. Everything before communist society is merely the prehistory of human society. Humanity's truly free development of history can only begin with communism.

Many misinterpretations of Marx have become common knowledge, which is precisely why "Defending Marx" needs to be written. Meanwhile, "Toppling Eastern and Western Economics" is an exploration conducted from a perspective different from Marx's and, of course, different from all previous economics. The significance of these two series is different.